Jeff Hood of Miami, Florida struck and killed father-daugher duo Carolina Cuadra and Issac Antonio Lopez in a car accident, according to reports. Hood, 45, suffered minor injuries in the crash. No charges have yet been filed as police continue to investigate the incident. It is not clear whether Mr. Hood has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

Reports indicate that the car accident occurred last Thursday at approximately 1:00 a.m. on the Palmetto Expressway, close to the Northwest 36 Street ramp. According to the accident report, Cuadra and Lopez were going to a warehouse to pick up Miami Herald Media Co. newspapers for delivery. Cuadra was a contract newspaper carrier for the paper, for which she worked 365 days a year.

While the pair was headed to the warehouse in Cuadra’s 1996 Toyota, Hood allegedly rear-ended their vehicle with his 2002 Dodge pickup. The impact of the crash allegedly smashed Cuadra’s vehicle, destroying the car and killing both her and her father. Sources indicate that Hood may have been speeding at the time of the accident, and police reportedly drew blood at the scene to determine whether he had been drinking. The report indicates that Hood was not visibly drunk, and no open containers were found in his vehicle.

Hood is a Miami-Dade County employee, though he was driving his personal vehicle at the time of the accident. Both Cuadra and her husband, Jose, worked for the Miami Herald. Carolina Cuadra left him behind along with her three daughters, aged 7, 13, and 21. It is not clear whether the Cuadra family plans on seeking the services of a personal injury lawyer.
There were an alarming number of serious car accidents in South Florida last week. In yet another, a grandmother and her three-year-old grandson were struck and seriously injured by a vehicle in Dania Beach, according to sources. A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesperson reported that the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities. No charges have been filed as police continue to investigate the incident. No names, including those of the victims or the driver, have yet been released.

According to the accident report, the crash occurred at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon last Friday at the intersection of Southeast Second Avenue and East Dania Beach Boulevard. The two victims and another woman were reportedly crossing the street when the grandmother and grandson were struck by a silver Kia. Police are unsure of whether the trio was crossing the street at a crosswalk. “The two pedestrians were in the roadway but we don’t know exactly where they were, whether they were in or near a crosswalk… that’s something that traffic homicide investigators will determine as part of their investigation,” said one law enforcement officer to the press.

The grandmother was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital following the accident, while the child was transported to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Both victims were last reported to be in critical condition. No one in the vehicle is believed to have sustained injuries in the crash. The third pedestrian, believed to be a relative of the two victims, was also unharmed.